The present invention relates to a device for dispensing fluid foodstuffs, particularly for automatic or semiautomatic hot or cold beverage vending machines.
In automatic or semiautomatic hot or cold beverage vending machines, the beverage is dispensed by means of a dispensing device constituted by an electric valve which constitutes the element for controlling the flow of the dispensed liquid.
Electric valves currently used for this application are generally constituted by a hollow body inside which there is a dispensing chamber connected to an intake which is connected to a duct for introducing the fluid to be dispensed and to an outlet which is connected to a duct for dispensing the fluid.
The intake generally has a horizontal axis, while the outlet generally has a vertical axis and is arranged at a lower level than the intake. Inside the dispensing chamber there is a flow control element which is actuated by means of an electromagnet and can move on command in order to open or close the outlet.
Substantially, in these conventional devices the dispensing chamber is constantly connected to the duct for introducing the fluid to be dispensed and is therefore occupied by the fluid to be dispensed even when the dispensing of said fluid is not required.
In these devices, the amount of dispensed fluid is controlled by imposing a preset time on the activation of the electromagnet that actuates the flow control element, and it is therefore fundamentally important, in order to achieve sufficiently precise dispensing, that the response times of the flow control element, upon activation of the electromagnet that actuates it, be as constant as possible over time.
These devices have some drawbacks.
Due to the fact that the flow control element acts on the outlet, during the opening of the outlet a more or less laminar, and therefore a more or less ordered, flow of fluid can be triggered randomly through the outlet and can lead to alterations of the flow of the dispensed fluid and therefore to variations in the amount of dispensed fluid for an equal opening time of the outlet.
Moreover, due to the fact that the dispensing chamber is constantly occupied by the fluid, scale deposits can occur on the walls of the dispensing chamber and particularly adjacent to the flow control element. These scale deposits can alter the response times of the flow control element to the activation of the electromagnet and can also therefore lead to changes in the amount of dispensed fluid.
The formation of scale deposits can also cause the migration of scale particles which can become interposed between the flow control element and the outlet, altering the seal and therefore causing leakage when the flow control element is moved into the closure position.
Again due to the constant presence of fluid inside the dispensing chamber, in conventional devices fluid can pass from the dispensing chamber into the container that contains the electromagnet. This seepage can damage the electromagnet, altering its operation and therefore compromising the functionality of the device.
The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, by providing a device for dispensing fluid foodstuffs, particularly for automatic or semiautomatic hot or cold beverage vending machines, which is capable of ensuring constancy and high precision of the amount of dispensed liquid which do not change over time.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device which avoids or substantially reduces the possibility of formation of scale deposits in the region affected by the flow control element used to perform or interrupt the dispensing of the fluid.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device in which the response times of the flow control element, in performing or interrupting the dispensing of the fluid, are substantially invariant over time.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is highly reliable in operation and can be manufactured at competitive costs.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a device for dispensing fluid foodstuffs, particularly for automatic or semiautomatic hot or cold beverage vending machines, comprising a hollow body inside which there is a chamber connected to an intake which is connected to a fluid inlet duct and to an outlet which is connected to a fluid dispensing duct, a movable element, a flow control element forming a single piece with said movable element and connected to actuation means arranged in said chamber, said flow control element being movable on command, through the action of said actuation means on said movable element, in order to interrupt the connection between said intake and said outlet, characterized in that said flow control element is arranged proximate to said intake and can move on command in order to open or close said intake.